Phil Larson directs the veteran and military services program at the University of Michigan. Before that, he was a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant, a job in which finding a sense of purpose was not a problem.

Phil Larson remembers taking off a uniform he no longer would wear as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force and asking himself questions as he moved into civilian life: "Who am I? What's my meaning?"

"For the last years ... it's been answered for you," said Larson, now director of the veteran and military services program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "You knew that you served the country; there was a purpose, a mission larger than self.

"When you get out, you have lost a sense of purpose in your job, friendship networks, pay, accommodations ... a lot of security goes with that. College gives people time and room to adjust to being a civilian."

Schools and the state of Michigan hope to play key roles as veterans move from the military culture to civilian life and jobs — a transition Larson and others say can be overwhelming.

From boosting veteran-specific personnel and creating comfortable student lounges to faculty training and mentoring and student tracking, schools and the state look to address needs that may only grow — with 30,000 to 50,000 veterans estimated to be leaving the military in the next few years and coming to Michigan.

In the state's multipronged strategy to help that transition, education is a "key pivot point," said Jeff Barnes, director of the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

Enlisting schools

The Michigan Veteran Education Initiative, a program launched this year, places resource representatives at college and university campuses to help with myriad issues that affect veterans' education, from financial aid and health benefits to social and personal needs.

It begins with a conversation.

"An individual may not know what services they're looking for or are available until we ... talk through some of the interests that they have," said Sarah Mellon, Michigan State University's veteran resource representative.

The initiative was created by the state veterans agency and the Michigan College Access Network, an organization that works with colleges and other groups to increase Michigan's college readiness, participation and completion rates. Participating schools and the state split the cost of the representatives' salaries and benefits and provide offices. Lawmakers approved more than $1.7 million in state funding.

Thirteen representatives are currently on campuses. In some cases, the reps and vets share a military past.

Mya Edwards: Helps with issues from forms to car repairs to rent.

"They'll come in my office, and they'll immediately see my U.S. Army flag on the wall," said Mya Edwards, a veteran resource representative at Oakland Community College who served in the Army National Guard.

Edwards said she has helped with issues ranging from forms and benefits to car repairs and rent.

One emphasis has been the college's chapter of the Student Veterans of America, a coalition of student veterans groups on campuses that provides a peer-to-peer network. Chapters may include veterans, civilians and military dependents.

One early result of the state program: More extensive use of available benefits. From the program's January inception through May, campus representatives had met with 475 veterans, and 136 filed health and education claims.

Collegial colleges

All of Michigan's public universities and community colleges are part of a network, founded by Central Michigan University in 2010, that shares best practices and looks to increase the number of service members and their families that tap educational benefits. The Consortium of Michigan Veterans Educators also concentrates on support that veterans need to obtain a credential leading to employment.

This spring, the group received a three-year, $500,000 grant from the Troy-based Kresge Foundation to build its capacity and the scope of its work. That includes hiring a coordinator to be its point person and represent it in a multistate effort examining ways to apply and translate military training and experience into academic credit and credentials.

Scott Herzberg, a member of the consortium's steering committee and military and veteran services adviser at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City, said schools need to continually evaluate programs they offer and assess future areas of employment, "so that when these veterans do land on these campuses, ... (we) have the proper support pieces in place."

Herzberg's NMC position was created in 2012 as part of a commitment to make the college more military-friendly. Steps have included a video featuring NMC vets to help faculty and staff understand the challenges and strengths of vets, veteran-specific orientation, and training faculty to better communicate with vets and be aware of classroom needs, like whether they prefer to sit with their backs to the wall or in sight of the exit.

Central Michigan's global campus encompasses online students and nearly 40 satellite locations in the U.S. and Canada, 20 of which are military bases — a presence begun in 1971. On bases, CMU offers open-enrollment courses and specific degrees, such as a master of science and administration degree offered with classes at the Army's Command General and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., said Adam Betz, manager of Michigan operations for CMU's global campus and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

Putting students on a path to success includes mentoring. A UM-developed initiative that's also being used at other schools in Michigan and around the country is the Peer Advisors for Veteran Education program, or PAVE. It pairs trained and paid upperclass student vets with incoming students to discuss, in monthly one-on-one conversations, areas such as how they are adjusting, their academics and goals.

Peer advisers also help students find on- and off-campus resources for personal issues and academic needs.

UM's Depression Center received grant funding that subsidizes the PAVE program's costs at other schools that apply and are selected to use the program.

New this year for UM student veterans: a website that will list contact information for companies nationwide looking to hire veterans as well as other organizations offering opportunities such as internships and mentoring.

It's a next step in planning that has been unrolling since Larson's office opened in 2008. Schools say evolution is a given to meet the needs of current and future student veterans.

Allendale-based Grand Valley State University, among the schools to commit to the U.S. Department of Education's "8 Keys to Veterans' Success" initiative, is well-prepared, said Steven Lipnicki, the university's assistant dean of students.

The "8 Keys" voluntary initiative highlights ways that postsecondary institutions can help vets and service members transition to higher education, complete their college programs and obtain career-ready skills.

Grand Valley's steps have included establishing an area where student vets can relax and study; using an early-alert system that helps university staff identify, in the first semester, potential student success or challenges that can be addressed; adopting the PAVE program for all new students as a successor to a voluntary "battle buddy" mentoring initiative; and holding awareness training for faculty and staff.

The university also has a new veteran resource representative, shared with Grand Rapids Community College.

Enlisting employers

Connecting with employers is an emphasis at schools throughout the state.

This year, for example, Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo is building around its November "Boots to Suits" event, which brings together student vets and employers who make presentations and provide résumé and interviewing assistance.

A week of activities includes a career fair and panel discussions addressing topics such as military families and how executives' military experience changed them and "how they used those lessons to be successful" in their careers, said Bob Stewart, career development specialist in Western's Haworth College of Business and a U.S. Navy veteran.

Leading up to the November activities is a new session Stewart will run to prepare student vets to interact with employers. The session will include helping students give a 30-second commercial or elevator speech along with job interviewing tips. Employers will discuss how best to approach them about a potential job and how students should interact with a prospective employer in an interview. They also will critique résumés to help translate military experience into civilian terms.

Schools are also helping in a number of financial areas, including veteran scholarships; in-state tuition for anyone who has served — even if the student veteran isn't using federal education benefits that require in-state rates — and, at a few colleges, lower-price, in-district tuition. One is Delta College in University Center near Bay City, which this year began offering in-district status to all GI Bill recipients.

"It's really both helping the veteran and helping us attract veterans and keep them," said Bethany Alford, coordinator of veteran services and a reserve Navy chief petty officer.

New for colleges, universities and training schools that apply is a "Veteran-Friendly School" recognition program from the state Veterans Affairs Agency. Institutions can earn bronze-, silver- or gold-level status based on their commitment to supporting student veterans and dependents. The agency announced rankings for 57 schools in August.